Calamity
by Xanthose
Summary: After the destruction of his former team, Joseph-027 must now command the new five man Spartan team. Please R
1. Prologue

**Calamity**

_ Prologue_

November 29, 2525 (MILITARY CALENDAR) \

UNCLASSIFIED Military journal, Reach colony world

"In peace, sons bury their fathers, in war, fathers bury their sons." -Herodotus

I never wanted to be a Spartan. Neural stimulants, implants, just makes us inhuman. We are designed for one thing, to kill. Being a Spartan is a blessing yet also a curse, but it never prepared me for this.


	2. The Beginning

This is my first story so please give me some slack. My friend said I had a talent for writing so I gave it a try!

Notes : { } Indicate the start and end of a flashback.

Chapter 1

{"I need a can of biofoam!" yelled Shane as he fell to the ground, clutching his chest. A plasma shot tore through the Mark IV chest plate and burned his right lung, collapsing it. We knew he wasn't going to make it, but this would keep him fighting longer. I was on my last MA5B Assault Rifle clip, and Roy was out of his SRS99 Sniper Rifle ammo and started using Shane's Designated Marksman Rifle (DMR).

"Overlord this is Red team, we are under heavy fire, need support! Covenant forces are nearly overrunning our position!"

"Copy that Red team, two pelicans with marines loaded for bear coming your way, ETA five minutes."

There was no possible way we were going to hold out five minutes; we had nearly no ammo, a couple grenades, and wounded Spartans. I threw all of my grenades as an attempt to slow the enemy down, which did take out about five to ten grunts. A stray needler round hits a crevice between Roy's shoulder and chest plate, exploding, leaving his arm dangling by a couple ligaments and his tricep. He screamed in pain and fell to the ground.

"Joe! Come here, do you still have ammo?"

"I've got twelve rounds left, they've got twenty or so people left."

"Shut up and listen to me. You see the dead grunts on the ground? Their methane tanks haven't exploded yet. When a group gets close, shoot one, and the methane will ignite, I'm too badly injured to fight anymore, and I'm out of ammo. Good luck."

"I'm not leaving you!" I said with tears streaming down my face.

Roy grabbed me, "Look! You're not doing anybody help if you sit here and god damn cry about us dying! Don't you remember? A Spartan..-" Roy's voice got weaker "never...dies." was whispered as he took his last breath. I looked over at Shane, he was gone too.

I hid down in an effort to make them think we were all dead. Watching out of the corner of the barricade, I saw the first group running past a dead grunt. I shot a bullet, and the group fell immediately after the explosion. The rest stopped, realizing what happened, and started firing.

One round, a few enemies left.

An Elite charged, just to recieve a bullet through his agape mouth. Once the few grunts around him realized what happened, they ran.

Seeing no enemies, I shrunk to the floor, and let out a sigh of relief. The sound of an energy sword crackled. getting out of the way in fear, I spun around to see a white elite de-cloaking in front of me. He jabbed at my face with the sword, missing to my left by inches. I cocked my leg and kick his right knee in, breaking it with a comforting _snap_. The Elite fell to one knee, then dropped a fist into my helmet. Slightly conscious, I opened my eyes to see the Elite on top of me, holding my neck in one hand, sword in the other.}

0700 hours, December 12, 2525 (MILITARY CALENDAR) \

Mining tunnels under ONI CASTLE base, Reach colony world

I woke up in breathing heavily and sweating. It was just a dream.

The old intercom sputtered to life

"Spartan-027 please report to the Briefing Room, and wear your MJOLNIR."

Thoughts raced through my mind; mission? I don't recall any new problems that surfaced requiring a Spartan.

While a machine was putting my suit together I heard a rumor that ONI was keeping very close observations on me after Memorial Basin for some secret project they had planned. Before I left, I took some anti-depressants to keep my flashbacks at bay.

I walked in the room, "Spartan-027 reporting as o-" instinctively going to attention after seeing Fleet Admiral Larson standing there amongst five other Spartans.

"At ease, soldier. As you may have noticed, I am Fleet Admiral Larson, and we have an idea you might like. ONI has been watching you, and you clearly know that-" He shot a glimpse at Dr. Halsey. "and we would like you to become Spartan II Able Team's Commanding Officer."

Puzzled, I made the stupidest mistake I may have ever done. "Why?"

He shuffled uneasily, "At Memorial Basin you've proven that you're a very capable soldier, holding off waves of Covenant forces from a medical facility, after that, preparing an assault on the Covenant forces changing the tide of battle. However, we did witness that three man Spartan groups are ineffective against the Covenant, so we've decided to try a five man squad, and you will be commanding it. You're one of the best qualified Spartan II's we have. Since we've got that covered, here-" He handed me a portfolio of the team that will be under my command. "I hope you study up and get ready, since you have practice tomorrow."

1900 hours, November 30, 2525 (MILITARY CALENDAR) \

Spartan-027's dormitory, ONI CASTLE base, Reach colony world

After eating my Chicken Parmesan Meal Ready to Eat (MRE) I decided to open the portfolio Admiral Larson gave me.

There was a small note inside, along with four biographies. Checking the small note first, it read " Spartan-027, along with your command of Able Team, you have been promoted to Master Chief."

Whippidy-fucking-doo, I thought to myself, I get the rank while my old team dies and gets shit. I started to open the portfolio and look through the members:

Spartan-086 Michael

Rank : Senior Chief

Proven multiple times in combat, Spartan-086 has decorations equivalent to a Captain. Spartan-086 performs multiple times better under stress, keep this in mind.

Spartan-121 Kate

Rank: Petty Officer 1st Class

Spartan-121 is one of the most efficient Spartans in the UNSC. She suprised her trainers by passing top honors in the rifle marksmanship.

Spartan-136 Rachel

Rank: Petty Officer 3rd Class

Spartan-136 is undoubtedly one of the smarter of the Spartans. She excels in technical problems and has been able to crack a Category ten firewall.

Spartan-137 Matthew

Spartan-137 is undoubtedly a good marksman. Be careful though, his brother is Spartan-086; making him extremely unstable when anything happens to his brother.

"Oh boy." I sighed, thinking of how this could turn out. He plopped on his bed, and a thought popped in his mind. Something very bad is going to happen tomorrow.


	3. Haunting Recollections

Chapter 2

0900 hours, December 13, 2525 (MILITARY CALENDAR) \

Mining tunnels under ONI CASTLE base, Reach colony world

"All right, we're in a training mission against ODST Delta Company, one hundred and fifty strong, commanded by Captain McKellan. Our job is to hold a Key Strategic Location that is next to a ravine. ODST will be trying to take that location from the same side of the ravine, so we must set up defenses to hold out. Mike, I need you to set up on that ridge that overlooks our position. Matthew, you'll be his spotter. Rachel, Kate, and I set up a defensive barricade in front of the Key Strategic Location and prepared a defense. Remember, we are using stun rounds, if you are hit, that area of your body is now disabled until stuns are turned off."

We could hear the footsteps of the ODST coming closer. Hundreds of ODST were headed towards our position, and it was us five. To simulate Spartan armor, we were able to take multiple shots before losing neural control.

"Contact, a hundred or so ODST are charging straight into you guys, be ready."

Bullets flew through the air in both directions, though ODST were falling left and right. a few minutes into the fight, Kate yelled, and I turned my head toward her. A bullet hit her right shoulder in the crevice between the shoulder and chestplate and my eyes widened and my vision blurred.

[Roy getting hit by a needler round in the crevice between the shoulder and chest plate, exploding and leaving his arm permanently damaged.

My vision blurred and went black, emotions cycled, anger, fear, pain, agony, and failure. Failure to save my teammate, agony I had to deal with this over and over, pain from losing the closest people to me, fear that this will happen again, anger to stop this from ever happening again.]

-My eyes started to focus in again to realize every single ODST was on the floor and I was on top of the last one, a young man, in his twenties, holding a knife to his throat.

Realizing what I had done, I dropped the knife and looked back at Kate, who was now holding her gun in her left hand since her right arm was neurally disabled. I shed a tear, thinking of Roy, turned and walked back to my dorm.

1800 hours, December 13, 2525 (MILITARY CALENDAR) \

Dormitory in ONI CASTLE base, Reach colony world.

Kate walked into my room as I was looking at a photo of my old companions and stood against the wall. She was very beautiful to say the least; she had beautiful long blonde hair and had very nice curves to go with it, while her dark sapphire colored eyes were complemented by her slightly pale skin.

"What was that?"

"What?" I replied

"What you did today! You looked toward me and went beserk!"

Obviously since it had been a personal problem, I replied with a dull "Nothing."

Angered by my answer, she stood against the door with her arms crossed against her chest, "You're not leaving until you answer."

I was actually suprised by her patience, she broke down hours later, dropped her arms, and asked "Please tell me what happened, I would like to know."

I decided that she might as well know since she triggered it and I do prefer being alone, and not under mock-surveillance.

"Before this happened-" I gestured to the portfolio"-I was part of a Red team at Memorial Basin. We were to hold the Covenant off from attacking a Medical facility that resulted in only me surviving. One of them-" I shed a tear as I spoke. "-died by how you were shot today; a needler round blowing his arm nearly off, resulting in too much blood loss."

She walked over and hugged me, "It'll be alright" She said in a sincere tone. Normally I wouldn't take it sincerely, but in this case, I did.


End file.
